Everything flows on like a river, without pause, day and night. -- Confucius 551-479 BC

Water in the natural environment is flowing and adaptive as in a river or ocean. For example, bodies of water will naturally flow around or absorb the impact of a boulder thrown into them. Ocean waves adapt to the shoreline upon which they are crashing. Their water subsequently retreats into the sea and emerges as newly formed waves.

Water related movements in Martial Arts are normally described as flowing. They typically involve ebbing and flowing movements described as wave like. These kinds of motions are roughly analogous to the path water takes when pulling away from the shore then crashing back in. Similar Martial Arts movements resemble quick strikes followed by countering moves. During the retreating motion, power can be redirected into striking counter moves. The key point of this approach emphasizes synergistically working with the strike and redirecting the energy to a beneficial technique